Analysis and design optimisation have been carried out to find the best suitable design of the collapsible sign post which can minimize the possibility of injuring the passenger in the car during crash impact. The post also needs to be strong enough to withstand the wind load and self-weight. Many different design configurations were analysed and parametrical study was carried out. A couple of designs have been identified to be better in terms of minimizing the acceleration of the car during crash impact. This report discusses the modelling aspects of the finite element analysis and presents the results.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Regulatory approach to fatigue in car drivers and Current driving hours regulations
Current driving hours regulations do not meet evidence based critical factors
The expert group's evidence-based critical factors are similar to those identified by expert panels in the United States and Canada and when applied to assess the current prescriptive driving hours regime highlight deficiencies including:
The expert group's evidence-based critical factors are similar to those identified by expert panels in the United States and Canada and when applied to assess the current prescriptive driving hours regime highlight deficiencies including:
- The maximum working (including driving) period in a day does not accommodate circadian patterns (time of day factors);
- The minimum rest periods do not account for cumulative fatigue issues and the variable length of break required for adequate sleep opportunity at different times of the day;
- The minimum rest periods do not accommodate the opportunity for night sleep;
- The short rest breaks are arbitrary and do not allow breaks to be taken when they may be of most benefit.
The expert group's recommendations present challenges for industry and regulators
The expert group's primary focus was on the scientific basis for any regulatory options but it was cognizant of operational, social and economic cost-benefit and compliance dimensions. It gave consideration to a range of factors like journey completion issues, queuing and slotting, availability of rest stations, cost burdens and ease of enforcement.
It was recognised that some of the proposals may create challenges for current operational practices but the expert group was equally clear that improvement and reduced risk is dependent on some of those practices changing to accommodate the state of knowledge about fatigue. The need for change is not limited to the driving task but must encompass the supply chain.
These design principles should be considered in developing prescriptive traditional driving hours regulation or other options such as performance based regulations and codes of practice. To illustrate how the design principles could be applied, an indicative model was prepared by the expert group. The expert group saw this as one way of progressing the better management of fatigue but anticipated there would be other ways of putting the principles into practice.
Whilst the process of developing regulatory options involves robust examination of many factors and inevitable pragmatic compromises, the design principles set out in this report are considered fundamental to improved outcomes.
The expert group's primary focus was on the scientific basis for any regulatory options but it was cognizant of operational, social and economic cost-benefit and compliance dimensions. It gave consideration to a range of factors like journey completion issues, queuing and slotting, availability of rest stations, cost burdens and ease of enforcement.
It was recognised that some of the proposals may create challenges for current operational practices but the expert group was equally clear that improvement and reduced risk is dependent on some of those practices changing to accommodate the state of knowledge about fatigue. The need for change is not limited to the driving task but must encompass the supply chain.
These design principles should be considered in developing prescriptive traditional driving hours regulation or other options such as performance based regulations and codes of practice. To illustrate how the design principles could be applied, an indicative model was prepared by the expert group. The expert group saw this as one way of progressing the better management of fatigue but anticipated there would be other ways of putting the principles into practice.
Whilst the process of developing regulatory options involves robust examination of many factors and inevitable pragmatic compromises, the design principles set out in this report are considered fundamental to improved outcomes.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Drink Driving Mental health and social support
All offenders reported experiencing a high level of mental health and social support at the time of the initial interview, as measured by the Mental Health Inventory, the Social Support Appraisals Scale and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List. No difference was found between the UTL and Control groups on these measures.
Number of prior drink driving convictions was found to influence the level of support received from friends and others, and also the level of self-esteem support received. Offenders with prior drink driving convictions reported lower levels of social support in all instances.
The UTL program did not increase the level of mental health and social support experienced by offenders, relative to the amount of change seen in the Control group over the course of the study.
Knowledge
At the time of the first interview, offenders in the UTL group showed more accurate knowledge for alcohol and drink driving-related issues. However, over the 9 months between interviews, the knowledge of offenders in the UTL group did not improve to any greater extent compared to the knowledge of offenders in the Control group.
Number of prior drink driving convictions was found to influence the level of support received from friends and others, and also the level of self-esteem support received. Offenders with prior drink driving convictions reported lower levels of social support in all instances.
The UTL program did not increase the level of mental health and social support experienced by offenders, relative to the amount of change seen in the Control group over the course of the study.
Knowledge
At the time of the first interview, offenders in the UTL group showed more accurate knowledge for alcohol and drink driving-related issues. However, over the 9 months between interviews, the knowledge of offenders in the UTL group did not improve to any greater extent compared to the knowledge of offenders in the Control group.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
BTWC 2007/2008 mod for GTREvo : RELEASED
The BTWC 2007/2008 mod for GTR Evo by Snowy, Alex Koda and Eurostc : Team SEAKThe well known British Touring Championship as arrived .
BTWC 2007/2008 Seasons
2007 : Full grid of twenty-nine cars
2008 : Full grid of twenty-seven cars
Fabrizio Giovanardi, Jason Plato, Matt Neal, Tom Chilton, Colin Turkington, etc etc etc.
Official Forum and download links
Have fun!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Travelling Speed and Risk of Crash Involvement Conclusions
In rural out of town areas, the risk of involvement in a casualty crash increases greater than exponentially with increasing free travel speed. Even travelling just 10 km/h faster than the average speed of other traffic was found to double the risk of crash involvement.
It was also found that small reductions in travelling speed in rural areas have the potential to greatly reduce casualty crashes in those areas; that illegal speeding is responsible for a significant proportion of rural crashes; and that reducing the maximum speed limit on undivided roads to 80 km/h could be expected to have a marked effect on casualty crash frequency.
We therefore recommend that:
1. The level of enforcement of speed limits in rural areas be increased.
2. The tolerance allowed in the enforcement of rural speed limits be reduced or eliminated.
3. All currently zoned 110 km/h undivided roads be rezoned to no more than 100 km/h.
4. Speed limits be reduced where current limits are considerably greater than average travelling speeds and where there are frequently occurring Advisory Speed signs.
5. After a period with stricter enforcement of rural area speed limits, consideration be given to changing the maximum speed limit to 80 km/h on all two lane rural roads, as is the practice on two lane rural roads in many States in the USA.
6. The level of public awareness of the risk of involvement in a casualty crash associated with speeding be increased with the aim of developing a culture of compliance with speed limits, and support for strict limits, similar to that which has developed in relation to compliance with blood alcohol limits during recent decades.
7. To assist with the preceding recommendation, we also recommend that the results of this study be widely publicised.
It was also found that small reductions in travelling speed in rural areas have the potential to greatly reduce casualty crashes in those areas; that illegal speeding is responsible for a significant proportion of rural crashes; and that reducing the maximum speed limit on undivided roads to 80 km/h could be expected to have a marked effect on casualty crash frequency.
We therefore recommend that:
1. The level of enforcement of speed limits in rural areas be increased.
2. The tolerance allowed in the enforcement of rural speed limits be reduced or eliminated.
3. All currently zoned 110 km/h undivided roads be rezoned to no more than 100 km/h.
4. Speed limits be reduced where current limits are considerably greater than average travelling speeds and where there are frequently occurring Advisory Speed signs.
5. After a period with stricter enforcement of rural area speed limits, consideration be given to changing the maximum speed limit to 80 km/h on all two lane rural roads, as is the practice on two lane rural roads in many States in the USA.
6. The level of public awareness of the risk of involvement in a casualty crash associated with speeding be increased with the aim of developing a culture of compliance with speed limits, and support for strict limits, similar to that which has developed in relation to compliance with blood alcohol limits during recent decades.
7. To assist with the preceding recommendation, we also recommend that the results of this study be widely publicised.
BTWC 07/08 for GTREvo Release date
If everything worked as planned the BTWC 2007/2008 mod for GTREvolution will be released friday 12-12-08.Stay tuned
Saturday, December 6, 2008
F3000 IndyCar 96/97 skins : GTREvo
One year ago I start painting some cars from IndyCar 96/97 season, it was supposed to paint them all but only paint...3 cars.
Never released them, so...here they are, for GTREvo.
Available in the GTREvolution download section
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Society Attitudes to Road Safety Demographic Comparisons
The research clearly shows that age is the main predictor of how frequently drivers exceed the speed limit. However, while the tendency to exceed the speed limit continues to decline with age, the number of under 24 year olds saying they mostly or always do so has declined from 20% to 15% and is now at the same level as the 25-39 years age group.
Speed tends still to be referred to far more often than drink driving as the single main cause of road crashes, regardless of age. The one exception is those under 24 who mention speed and drink driving with similar frequency. Mentions of speed as one of three main crash factors has declined, reflecting a greater focus on the dangers of drink driving among this group.
However, more 15-24 year olds are now showing support for strict adherence to the limit in a 60 km/h zone, and while similar numbers support 65 km/h, the number tolerating 70 km/h in a 60 km/h zone has halved. Traditionally, tolerance of speeds in excess of 60 km/h could be seen to decline with age. In this survey speed tolerance is broadly similar across the 15-60 year group, then drops markedly, with 60% of those over 60 years favouring strict enforcement. A similar pattern emerges in relation to speed tolerance in 100 km/h zones.
While approval for RBT remains high across the age groups, over one in ten males aged 15-24 years disagree with it. This youngest age group continues to be the most inclined to feel that RBT levels have increased. Claimed exposure to RBT is highest among this age group, which is also the most inclined to say a BAC of .05 will affect their ability as a pedestrian. This youngest age group is most likely to say I dont drink if driving (48% compared with a national average of 37%), and remains the most interested in the use of self-operated breath testing machines. Some 22% of the 15-24 years age group (up from 14% in CAS 13) have used such a device in the past six months.
CAS 14 has shown an increasing awareness of fatigue as a key crash factor, among people under 40 years, from 36% in CAS 13 to 43%, against a national average of 33%.
Speed tends still to be referred to far more often than drink driving as the single main cause of road crashes, regardless of age. The one exception is those under 24 who mention speed and drink driving with similar frequency. Mentions of speed as one of three main crash factors has declined, reflecting a greater focus on the dangers of drink driving among this group.
However, more 15-24 year olds are now showing support for strict adherence to the limit in a 60 km/h zone, and while similar numbers support 65 km/h, the number tolerating 70 km/h in a 60 km/h zone has halved. Traditionally, tolerance of speeds in excess of 60 km/h could be seen to decline with age. In this survey speed tolerance is broadly similar across the 15-60 year group, then drops markedly, with 60% of those over 60 years favouring strict enforcement. A similar pattern emerges in relation to speed tolerance in 100 km/h zones.
While approval for RBT remains high across the age groups, over one in ten males aged 15-24 years disagree with it. This youngest age group continues to be the most inclined to feel that RBT levels have increased. Claimed exposure to RBT is highest among this age group, which is also the most inclined to say a BAC of .05 will affect their ability as a pedestrian. This youngest age group is most likely to say I dont drink if driving (48% compared with a national average of 37%), and remains the most interested in the use of self-operated breath testing machines. Some 22% of the 15-24 years age group (up from 14% in CAS 13) have used such a device in the past six months.
CAS 14 has shown an increasing awareness of fatigue as a key crash factor, among people under 40 years, from 36% in CAS 13 to 43%, against a national average of 33%.
Spyker C8 GT2R skins: GTREvo
Spyker Squadron Teams
- Snoras Spyker Squadron
- Spyker Squadron Le Man Series
- Spyker Squadron ALMS
Saturday, November 29, 2008
BTWC 2007/2008 mod for GTREvo
Sims and skins are working hard to bring BTWC 2007/2008 to GTREvolution.All the cars and drivers from 2007/2008 seasons.
You can follow the progress of the mod in the official thread.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
GTREvolution Skins : Forum release
Two requested skins in the forum as been released
Flash engineering team from ETCC
Seat Toledo Galp Energia team
Exclusive for forum members
Flash engineering team from ETCC
Seat Toledo Galp Energia team
Exclusive for forum members
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Motorcycle rider age and risk of fatal injury - key findings
- Fatalities among riders aged 17 and over decreased by around 6 per cent between1991 and 2001 while over the same period fatalities among riders 40 years and over increased by 77 per cent.
- Fatalities among riders 40 years and over as a proportion of all rider fatalities, increased from 14 per cent in 1991 to 27 per cent in 2001.
- The popularity of motorcycling appears to be increasing significantly among the 40 years and over age group.
- Despite the significant increase in older rider fatalities, the risk of fatal injury to motorcycle riders per distance travelled is still significantly higher among younger riders.
- Motorcycle riders are around 29 times more likely to be fatally injured than operators of other vehicles travelling the same distance.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Evaluating and developing fleet safety in Australia
This project has reviewed developments in fleet and work-related road safety in Australia, particularly the following areas.
1. Identifies a range of societal, business, legal, and cost reasons to focus on fleet safety at the macro and microlevels.
2. Describes a wide range of government, insurer, and occupational health and safety (OHS)-led case studies.
3. Develops an approach to fleet safety evaluation based on a range of proactive and reactive, or lead and lag keyperformance indicators (KPIs) on crash rates, costs, and qualitative process issues.
4. Identifies an apparent lack of fleet safety theory, and then describes several more general safety theories andframeworks, including the Surveillance Model, the Haddon Matrix and Organisational Culture-based approaches.
5. Synthesises the above to develop a best practice process model for fleet safety and recommend future work.
- The extent of the problem.
- Examples of best practice.
- Mechanisms for evaluation.
- Theoretical paradigms and future directions.
1. Identifies a range of societal, business, legal, and cost reasons to focus on fleet safety at the macro and microlevels.
2. Describes a wide range of government, insurer, and occupational health and safety (OHS)-led case studies.
3. Develops an approach to fleet safety evaluation based on a range of proactive and reactive, or lead and lag keyperformance indicators (KPIs) on crash rates, costs, and qualitative process issues.
4. Identifies an apparent lack of fleet safety theory, and then describes several more general safety theories andframeworks, including the Surveillance Model, the Haddon Matrix and Organisational Culture-based approaches.
5. Synthesises the above to develop a best practice process model for fleet safety and recommend future work.
Forum
I'm trying to put together a forum to share some ideas, projects, etc...
Want to participate?
Forum
Hope to see you there!
Cheers
Saturday, November 15, 2008
BMW Z4 Skins : GTREvo
As promised, here they are:
9 fictional skins BMW Z4 (gt-club) for GTREvolution.
You can download them one by one or in a skinpack
Have fun!
9 fictional skins BMW Z4 (gt-club) for GTREvolution.
You can download them one by one or in a skinpack
Have fun!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Appropriateness of valuing leisure travel time savings
Appropriateness of valuing leisure travel time savings
The analysis of speed limit changes on rural freeways and divided roads included scenarios where leisure trip travel time was valued at zero, for comparison with the results where it was valued in the same way as trips in cars for other private purposes.
There is a view that on some trips, the travel time saving per trip travelled at a higher speed is so small that the benefit cannot be perceived by vehicle occupants and hence has zero value. In rural areas, trip distances are typically longer than in urban areas and travel time savings per trip are potentially substantial if travelling at a higher speed. A DOTARS analysis showed that 41 minutes per trip could be saved on a 700 km rural section of the Hume Highway if travelling at 130 km/h on the better one-third of road and 120 km/h on the remainder, compared with travelling at 110 km/h over its whole length. It is likely that vehicle occupants would perceive travel time savings of this magnitude over long rural trips and would place value on the time savings.
Another issue arising in the valuation of travel time savings on rural roads is the desirability of consistency in the valuation of leisure time in the travel time costs and in the road trauma costs. The ‘human capital’ crash cost estimates do not include any value for leisure time forgone by crash victims. For consistency reasons, it could be argued that when the human capital cost estimates are used, the leisure trip travel time savings should be valued at zero. This variation on the base scenario analyses for rural freeways and rural divided roads was presented for this reason (Table 2).
‘Willingness to pay’ valuations of road trauma
There has been considerable attention given in the USA to valuing road trauma costs as comprehensively as possible, especially including values for lost quality of life in the case of killed and incapacitated crash victims. A leading US transport safety economist, Ted Miller, has argued that comprehensive crash costs, otherwise known as ‘willingness to pay’ values, should be used in benefit-cost analysis. This is because ‘willingness to pay’ values reflect society’s consumer preferences when it comes to decisions about road safety initiatives.
Miller (1996) has also suggested that ‘it seems essential to use compatible values of life and travel time in transport investment analyses’. Since the travel time values normally used for transport decisions reflect consumer preferences, this implies that ‘willingness to pay’ values of road trauma should be used when travel time savings are valued.
Reflecting this argument, the analysis in this study includes variations on the base scenarios for rural freeways and rural divided roads in which ‘willingness to pay’ values are used (Table 2). Travel time for all purposes of trip (including leisure trips) is valued in these analyses. It is suggested that this is technically the correct combination of valuations of these two important impacts of the speed limit changes analysed in this study.
On the basis of these valuations, the optimum speed on the rural freeways is 120 km/h for cars and light commercial vehicles and 95 km/h for trucks. If these speeds were to become the speed limits for each type of vehicle, respectively, there would be a net saving of $1.36 million per annum per 100 km of rural freeway. There would be a travel time saving of 4.5 minutes per car, but an increase of 3.2 minutes per truck, and there would be an additional 0.6 fatal crashes per year per 100 km of freeway.
On rural divided roads, the optimum speed is 110 km/h for cars and light commercial vehicles and 90 km/h for trucks, if ‘willingness to pay’ valuations of road trauma are used. If the truck optimum was to become their speed limit (but no change in limit for cars), the total impact would be a saving of $864,000 per annum per 100 km of divided road. There would be no travel time saving for cars, but an increase of 6.7 minutes per truck, and there would be a reduction of 0.3 fatal crashes per year per 100 km of divided road.
If speed limits on each class of rural road (including rural undivided roads) were to be moved closer to the optimum speeds, there could be a substantial net gain in total economic costs across the road network (and perhaps even a net reduction in crash costs). This is because a large proportion of rural road travel (and an even larger proportion of rural crashes) is on undivided roads. A reduction in crash costs may result because, although speed limits for cars would increase on freeways, their limits would decrease or remain the same on other roads, and truck speed limits would decrease on all roads, especially the undivided roads with higher crash rates. However, reliable data on rural traffic levels using each of the four classes of road analysed in this study was not available to calculate the total economic impacts across the rural road network.
The analysis of speed limit changes on rural freeways and divided roads included scenarios where leisure trip travel time was valued at zero, for comparison with the results where it was valued in the same way as trips in cars for other private purposes.
There is a view that on some trips, the travel time saving per trip travelled at a higher speed is so small that the benefit cannot be perceived by vehicle occupants and hence has zero value. In rural areas, trip distances are typically longer than in urban areas and travel time savings per trip are potentially substantial if travelling at a higher speed. A DOTARS analysis showed that 41 minutes per trip could be saved on a 700 km rural section of the Hume Highway if travelling at 130 km/h on the better one-third of road and 120 km/h on the remainder, compared with travelling at 110 km/h over its whole length. It is likely that vehicle occupants would perceive travel time savings of this magnitude over long rural trips and would place value on the time savings.
Another issue arising in the valuation of travel time savings on rural roads is the desirability of consistency in the valuation of leisure time in the travel time costs and in the road trauma costs. The ‘human capital’ crash cost estimates do not include any value for leisure time forgone by crash victims. For consistency reasons, it could be argued that when the human capital cost estimates are used, the leisure trip travel time savings should be valued at zero. This variation on the base scenario analyses for rural freeways and rural divided roads was presented for this reason (Table 2).
‘Willingness to pay’ valuations of road trauma
There has been considerable attention given in the USA to valuing road trauma costs as comprehensively as possible, especially including values for lost quality of life in the case of killed and incapacitated crash victims. A leading US transport safety economist, Ted Miller, has argued that comprehensive crash costs, otherwise known as ‘willingness to pay’ values, should be used in benefit-cost analysis. This is because ‘willingness to pay’ values reflect society’s consumer preferences when it comes to decisions about road safety initiatives.
Miller (1996) has also suggested that ‘it seems essential to use compatible values of life and travel time in transport investment analyses’. Since the travel time values normally used for transport decisions reflect consumer preferences, this implies that ‘willingness to pay’ values of road trauma should be used when travel time savings are valued.
Reflecting this argument, the analysis in this study includes variations on the base scenarios for rural freeways and rural divided roads in which ‘willingness to pay’ values are used (Table 2). Travel time for all purposes of trip (including leisure trips) is valued in these analyses. It is suggested that this is technically the correct combination of valuations of these two important impacts of the speed limit changes analysed in this study.
On the basis of these valuations, the optimum speed on the rural freeways is 120 km/h for cars and light commercial vehicles and 95 km/h for trucks. If these speeds were to become the speed limits for each type of vehicle, respectively, there would be a net saving of $1.36 million per annum per 100 km of rural freeway. There would be a travel time saving of 4.5 minutes per car, but an increase of 3.2 minutes per truck, and there would be an additional 0.6 fatal crashes per year per 100 km of freeway.
On rural divided roads, the optimum speed is 110 km/h for cars and light commercial vehicles and 90 km/h for trucks, if ‘willingness to pay’ valuations of road trauma are used. If the truck optimum was to become their speed limit (but no change in limit for cars), the total impact would be a saving of $864,000 per annum per 100 km of divided road. There would be no travel time saving for cars, but an increase of 6.7 minutes per truck, and there would be a reduction of 0.3 fatal crashes per year per 100 km of divided road.
If speed limits on each class of rural road (including rural undivided roads) were to be moved closer to the optimum speeds, there could be a substantial net gain in total economic costs across the road network (and perhaps even a net reduction in crash costs). This is because a large proportion of rural road travel (and an even larger proportion of rural crashes) is on undivided roads. A reduction in crash costs may result because, although speed limits for cars would increase on freeways, their limits would decrease or remain the same on other roads, and truck speed limits would decrease on all roads, especially the undivided roads with higher crash rates. However, reliable data on rural traffic levels using each of the four classes of road analysed in this study was not available to calculate the total economic impacts across the rural road network.
Monday, November 10, 2008
BMW Z4 w.i.p. : GTREvo
A skin dedicated to a friend who "doesn't like repeated skins"... :P
It will be released in a pack very soon.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Radicals SR3 : GTREvolution
Old skins for a new Sim
Did these about a year ago for rFactor,
now is the time to put them in GTREvolution.
DOWNLOAD
Did these about a year ago for rFactor,
now is the time to put them in GTREvolution.
DOWNLOAD
Friday, November 7, 2008
GTREvo Z4 skins
Z4 team Rac : Colin Turkington
Z4 Btcc 50 years : Andy RouseApart from few cars from VLN, I didn't find many "real" Z4 to paint.
So, I decided to paint some cars (fictional) for GTREvo, because I love this model! :)
Hope you like them... real soon...
Thursday, November 6, 2008
BMW Z4 VLN Skins : GTREvo
BMW Z4 VLN skins : 2 teams, 3 skins- Dörr-Motorsport (Black edition)
- Dörr-Motorsport (White edition)
- Schubert-Motorsport
Key facts for new drivers
Learning a new skill
Think about this: learning to drive is like learning to play a sport – for example, tennis.
First, you develop an interest and find out the requirements to play the game (how old must you be to drive, who can teach you, what the basic rules are, etc.).
Think about this: learning to drive is like learning to play a sport – for example, tennis.
First, you develop an interest and find out the requirements to play the game (how old must you be to drive, who can teach you, what the basic rules are, etc.).
- You find a good coach (the driving instructor) and someone to practise with (your parent or older friend).
- You learn the basic skills (steering, braking, turning etc.) and practise at the local level.
- As you improve, you begin to realise there is more to it than you first thought. You need to learn how to position yourself to have time and space to react to opposition players; how to anticipate what other players may do; and how to cope with different playing surfaces and conditions. (You practise driving on different roads and at different times and in different conditions).
- After lots of lessons and practice you are ready for greater challenges (freeways, night time driving, wet weather).
- Eventually, after even more practice, you no longer need either your coach or your practice partner. (You gain your P licence).
- If your skills begin to slip, for example, your backhand or overhead lob (reversing, changing lanes), you take another couple of lessons.
Ask yourself this:
Can you become good at tennis without practising?
If you described the game of tennis would you say it's only about the way you use the racquet?
Would you take up tennis and then compete in a big tournament after only a couple of lessons?
How much practice is enough when learning to drive?
Driving is more difficult than it first looks.
There is more to it than just handling the vehicle's controls and manoeuvring the car in and around the roads. (These are called the physical skills of driving).
There are a lot of decisions to be made while driving like ‘Who has right of way here? Can I turn left from this lane?’ and using the road rules. (These are called the cognitive or thinking skills of driving).
At the same time, you must look out for and manage unexpected hazards – such as other road users and changing weather conditions. (These are called perceptual or detection skills)
It takes a long time to put all these skills together and be a good driver.
In fact, most road safety experts warn that you will need at least 120 hours of driving practice.
That sounds like a lot, but it is not that difficult to build up to this number of hours.
Most young people have their learner licence for at least a year, and practising 2–3 hours a week is achievable.
Every time you are in the car you should be behind the steering wheel! Even short trips to school, work or sport can quickly add up to become lots of experience.
It is important that over the learner period every possible type of driving experience is practised. The support – and extra set of eyes – that your supervisor can give during practice drives is invaluable.
Make sure that the first time you come up against a difficult driving situation isn't when you are in the car on your own after gaining your 'P' licence.
Can you become good at tennis without practising?
If you described the game of tennis would you say it's only about the way you use the racquet?
Would you take up tennis and then compete in a big tournament after only a couple of lessons?
How much practice is enough when learning to drive?
Driving is more difficult than it first looks.
There is more to it than just handling the vehicle's controls and manoeuvring the car in and around the roads. (These are called the physical skills of driving).
There are a lot of decisions to be made while driving like ‘Who has right of way here? Can I turn left from this lane?’ and using the road rules. (These are called the cognitive or thinking skills of driving).
At the same time, you must look out for and manage unexpected hazards – such as other road users and changing weather conditions. (These are called perceptual or detection skills)
It takes a long time to put all these skills together and be a good driver.
In fact, most road safety experts warn that you will need at least 120 hours of driving practice.
That sounds like a lot, but it is not that difficult to build up to this number of hours.
Most young people have their learner licence for at least a year, and practising 2–3 hours a week is achievable.
Every time you are in the car you should be behind the steering wheel! Even short trips to school, work or sport can quickly add up to become lots of experience.
It is important that over the learner period every possible type of driving experience is practised. The support – and extra set of eyes – that your supervisor can give during practice drives is invaluable.
Make sure that the first time you come up against a difficult driving situation isn't when you are in the car on your own after gaining your 'P' licence.
Monday, November 3, 2008
BMW Z4 skin : GTREvo
BMW Z4 skin : Btcc 50 years and new world champ...
Almost ready to leave the factory... :)
Friday, October 31, 2008
Deaths and serious injuries among female motorcyclists
Deaths and serious injuries among female motorcyclists
Motorcyclists are a relatively vulnerable road user group. They have less protection and a higher risk of serious injury in the event of a crash than vehicle occupants. ATSB discussions with motorcycle organisations suggested that the number of female motorcyclists is increasing. Any change in the pattern of road use has implications for road safety.
Prevalence of serious casualties among motorcyclists
Motorcycle riders and pillions constitute around 10 to 13 per cent of all road deaths each year. In 2003, there were 1,625 road deaths, of which 188 (11.6 per cent) were motorcyclists.
In 2003, 16 female motorcyclists were killed, accounting for 8.5 per cent of all motorcyclist deaths and around one per cent of all road deaths (Table 1). From 1999 to 2003, between 38 and 53 per cent of female motorcyclist deaths were pillion passengers. Pillion passenger deaths accounted for between one and four per cent of male motorcyclist deaths during the same period.
Motorcyclists account for 18 to 20 per cent of all people seriously injured on the roads each year. In the 200102 financial year, the latest 12-month period for which data are available, there were 22,775 people seriously injured, of whom 4,486 were motorcyclists (Table 2).
In the 200102 financial year, 355 female motorcyclists were seriously injured, accounting for 7.9 per cent of all motorcyclists seriously injuried and around 1.6 per cent of all people seriously injured on the road.
Trends in serious female motorcyclist casualties
The relatively small numbers and large fluctuations from year to year mean there is no statistically significant trend in female motorcyclist deaths (Figure 1).
Serious injury data may provide a better trend measure as larger numbers are involved. Serious injury data were only available for three financial years. Caution should be used in interpreting the data as three years are not sufficient to determine a statistically reliable trend.
The data provide no clear indication that the numbers of female motorcyclists seriously injuried are increasing. The number of seriously injured female motorcyclists increased from 313 in the 19992000 financial year to 352 in 200001; followed by an increase of three in 200102 to 355 (Figure 2).
The popularity of motorcycling among females
As no suitable national data are available to illustrate the popularity of motorcycling among females, motorcycle licence data from the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) have been used. NSW licence data were chosen as NSW is the most populous state. Underlying the use of these data is the assumption that licence patterns in NSW are indicative of the rest of Australia.
In 2003, females comprised 9.6 per cent of all licenced motorcycle riders in NSW. The number of licenced female motorcycle riders in NSW increased from 35,804 in 1999 to 38,569 in 2003, an increase of 7.7 per cent (Table 3). The total number of licenced motorcycle riders increased by 4.3 per cent over the same period.
Table 3: Licenced motorcycle riders by gender, New South Wales
Year Female Male Total
1999 35,804 347,495 383,858
2000 36,920 353,664 391,179
2001 37,728 357,135 395,493
2002 39,223 365,050 404,924
2003 38,569 361,160 400,370
Per cent increase
19992003 7.7 3.9 4.3
Motorcyclists are a relatively vulnerable road user group. They have less protection and a higher risk of serious injury in the event of a crash than vehicle occupants. ATSB discussions with motorcycle organisations suggested that the number of female motorcyclists is increasing. Any change in the pattern of road use has implications for road safety.
Prevalence of serious casualties among motorcyclists
Motorcycle riders and pillions constitute around 10 to 13 per cent of all road deaths each year. In 2003, there were 1,625 road deaths, of which 188 (11.6 per cent) were motorcyclists.
In 2003, 16 female motorcyclists were killed, accounting for 8.5 per cent of all motorcyclist deaths and around one per cent of all road deaths (Table 1). From 1999 to 2003, between 38 and 53 per cent of female motorcyclist deaths were pillion passengers. Pillion passenger deaths accounted for between one and four per cent of male motorcyclist deaths during the same period.
Motorcyclists account for 18 to 20 per cent of all people seriously injured on the roads each year. In the 200102 financial year, the latest 12-month period for which data are available, there were 22,775 people seriously injured, of whom 4,486 were motorcyclists (Table 2).
In the 200102 financial year, 355 female motorcyclists were seriously injured, accounting for 7.9 per cent of all motorcyclists seriously injuried and around 1.6 per cent of all people seriously injured on the road.
Trends in serious female motorcyclist casualties
The relatively small numbers and large fluctuations from year to year mean there is no statistically significant trend in female motorcyclist deaths (Figure 1).
Serious injury data may provide a better trend measure as larger numbers are involved. Serious injury data were only available for three financial years. Caution should be used in interpreting the data as three years are not sufficient to determine a statistically reliable trend.
The data provide no clear indication that the numbers of female motorcyclists seriously injuried are increasing. The number of seriously injured female motorcyclists increased from 313 in the 19992000 financial year to 352 in 200001; followed by an increase of three in 200102 to 355 (Figure 2).
The popularity of motorcycling among females
As no suitable national data are available to illustrate the popularity of motorcycling among females, motorcycle licence data from the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) have been used. NSW licence data were chosen as NSW is the most populous state. Underlying the use of these data is the assumption that licence patterns in NSW are indicative of the rest of Australia.
In 2003, females comprised 9.6 per cent of all licenced motorcycle riders in NSW. The number of licenced female motorcycle riders in NSW increased from 35,804 in 1999 to 38,569 in 2003, an increase of 7.7 per cent (Table 3). The total number of licenced motorcycle riders increased by 4.3 per cent over the same period.
Table 3: Licenced motorcycle riders by gender, New South Wales
Year Female Male Total
1999 35,804 347,495 383,858
2000 36,920 353,664 391,179
2001 37,728 357,135 395,493
2002 39,223 365,050 404,924
2003 38,569 361,160 400,370
Per cent increase
19992003 7.7 3.9 4.3
Thursday, October 30, 2008
BMW Extreme skins : GTREvolution
3 BMW Extreme skins for GTREvolution :- BMW Motorsport
- Getrag Sport
- Evosport team
Download here
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Real or fictional skins Poll result
Im impressed!84 votes! Thanks guys!
The results:
Real skins : 48 (57%)
Fictional skins : 7 (8%)
Both : 29 (34%)
The result speaks for itself.I will try to do more real skins!
Cheers :)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Road Deaths Australia, Monthly Bulletin; March 2008
Road Deaths Australia is a monthly bulletin presenting the latest fatal road crash data as well as recent historical comparisons. It is produced using monthly data supplied by the eight states and territories.
- There was a total of 137 road deaths in March 2008.
- this is a 8.7 per cent decrease from the March 2007 figure. - There have been 359 road deaths in 2008 to the end of March.
- this is an 11.1 per cent decrease from the same 3 month period in 2007.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Gigawave Motorsport : GTREvolution
My version of the DBR9 Gigawave Motorsport that runs in FIA-GT 2008
(My first skin for GTREvolution :D)
DOWNLOAD
(My first skin for GTREvolution :D)
DOWNLOAD
Monday, October 13, 2008
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